News Watch 104 (January/February 2005) Nuke Info Tokyo No. 104

First fuel loading at Higashidori-1

All six units at Fukushima I stopped

Procedures for reactor shut down during terrorist and armed attacks compiled

Stop Press: Hamaoka-5

The Nagoya High Court’s ruling invalidated the government’s approval for construction of FBR, and METI, the defendant, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. Almost two years have passed since METI file the appeal. This petition has now been recognized, but that doesn’t mean the defendant has won the case. After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court will decide either (1) to reject the appeal, (2) to over-rule the High Court decision and make its own decision, or (3) to annul the High Court ruling and return the case to the High Court.

Looking at past cases where the Supreme Court has heard appeals, High Court rulings have often been reversed. Nonetheless, there have also been cases where High Court rulings were upheld. Since this is a very important lawsuit, it is natural that the appeal be heard. This fact alone doesn’t help us predict the outcome.

At the “Decommission Monju! National Gathering” held on December 4-5 in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, Miwako Ogiso, the head of the Office for the Plaintiffs Group, stated that she believes the High Court ruling will surely be upheld, as it was in line with past Supreme Court precedents.

In the past, power companies used to define the “commencement of trial operations” from the commencement of power generation, but Tohoku Electric announced that it would consider this stage to begin with the commencement of fuel loading.

Units 2, 4 and 6 were stopped one after another when radioactive water leaks were found inside the feed-water heater rooms of Units 2 and 4 on December 8 and inside the reactor containment vessel of Unit 6 on December 17. Water leakage also found on December 15 in the reactor containment vessel of Unit 5, which is undergoing a periodic inspection.

The report proposes that when the country is threatened, for example by a terrorist attack, the government would assess the level of threat according to three categories: situations where an armed attack is predicted, situations where a military attack has occurred, and situations where an urgent response is required. In these circumstances an order would be given to nuclear power operators to shut down their reactors. When an unexpected situation arises, nuclear power operators may shut down their reactors at their own discretion, without waiting for the government’s order. Depending on the situation, shutdown could be done either as an ordinary shutdown, or as an emergency shutdown. In the case of a ‘situation where an urgent response is required’, it was decided that an emergency shutdown would be required.

When an alert is announced of a ‘situation where an armed attack is predicted’, nuclear power operators would immediately begin preparations for reactor shutdown, including securing alternative power. In other words, at any given time it must be possible to shutdown all reactors at the same time.